This 3-story rowhouse dating to ca. 1853-54 was the home of the St. Lawrence Hotel in the 19th century. Click here to send a letter supporting landmark designation of this and other historic buildings south of Union Square. . . .

Built in 1841 as a private house, by the late 19th century the building had been altered to serve as a hotel, reflecting the increasing commercialization of the area. Click here to send a letter supporting landmark designation of this and other historic buildings south of Union Square. . . .

The oldest part of the Hotel Albert complex was built as the Hotel St. Stephen in 1875-76. This section, now 50 East 11th Street just east of University Place, resulted from combining and altering three row houses on the site by architect James Irving Howard for builder Albert Rosenbaum, so the building’s bones (so to speak) date back even earlier to the early 19th century. In a 1920s renovation, the building gained the simplified facade we see today.

The next part of the complex to be built was directly west of the St. Stephen. Also commissioned by Rosenbaum, it was the first section of today’s complex to use the Albert name (Rosenbaum’s given name), located on the southeast corner of University Place and East 11th Street. Built in 1881-82 as a high-end apartment house or “French Flats,” and called the Albert Apartment House, it was one of the earliest examples in New York of the then-novel concept of apartment house design for middle- or upper-class residents. It was designed by the great architect Henry Hardenbergh, designer of perhaps the most famous and beloved of all of New York’s early apartment houses, Central Park West’s the Dakota (1880-84). Hardenbergh also designed other great New York City landmarks such as the Schermerhorn Building located just a few blocks away on Lafayette Street, and the Plaza Hotel.

In 1887, the Albert Apartments was converted into a hotel, rechristened the Hotel Albert. Just a few years later in 1895 the Hotel Albert absorbed the neighboring St. Stephen, thus beginning the Albert’s outward sprawl. The next part of this complex to be built was a 12-story extension on University Place, built 1903-04 and designed by the firm of Buchman & Fox. The final section of the Hotel Albert to be built was the 6-story neo-colonial style building located on the northeast corner of University Place and East 10th Street. It was built 1922-24, and designed by William L. Bottomly and the firm of Sugarman & Hess. From initially operating as a high-end hotel, by the post-War era the Albert had become rundown and seedy, though it continued to attract a musical and artistic crowd, especially to its cafes and restaurants. In 1976 it was finally converted to residential use, and in 1984 became co-op apartments. Click here to send a letter supporting landmark designation of this and other historic buildings south of Union Square. . . .

Completed in 1853 by architect James Renwick, the St. Denis Hotel stood at the corner of East 11th Street and Broadway. The property, which was owned by the Renwick family, had been given to them by their relative, Henry Brevoort, a successful farmer and prominent landowner during the late eighteenth century. The hotel was named after its first proprietor, Denis Julian, and its style was derived from Elizabethan and Renaissance models. It was said to be “one of the handsomest buildings on Broadway, occupying seventy-six feet on that thoroughfare and one hundred and twenty on Eleventh Street” by Miller’s New York as it Is, Or Stranger’s Guide-book to the Cities of New York, Brooklyn and Adjacent Places.

James Renwick was a partner in the prominent architectural firm of Renwick, Aspinwall & Russell, which was responsible for numerous notable Gothic Revival-style buildings during the mid- to late-nineteenth century. His first commission was Grace Church, a notable French Gothic Revival-style work and a designated city landmark, built in 1847, which has been called “one of the city’s greatest treasures.” Besides the Trinity building, which was demolished in 1853, the St. Denis was the first building in New York to utilize terra cotta as exterior architectural ornament.

Mary Todd Lincoln, 1846 During its heyday, the St. Denis was located in what was considered an upscale shopping district or “the most fashionable part of Broadway.” It was patronized by many notable individuals, wealthy businessmen, theatrical superstars and Presidents. In September 1867, Mary Todd Lincoln stayed at the St. Denis, while visiting New York for the purpose of selling her personal belongings. After an 1873 fire, the St. Denis was rebuilt in 1875.

Sarah Bernhardt in "Hamlet," 1885 Other distinguished individuals who stayed at the St. Denis were General Ulysses S. Grant, Chester A. Arthur, P.T. Barnum, Mark Twain, Roscoe Conkling, Buffalo Bill and Sarah Bernhardt. In 1917, after 64 years of operation, it was announced that the St. Denis would be closing its doors to make way for a loft building. In February 1920, the Renwick family finally sold the property, which had been in their family for 250 years, at auction.

In late 2018, after plans were announced to demolish the historic building to make way for another tech-related development, Village Preservation staged a protest outside the building attended by hundreds of local residents. Nevertheless the city refused to act, and in 2019 the building was demolished, with the new office tower replacing it. Click here to send a letter supporting landmark designation of extant historic buildings south of Union Square. . . .

When built in 1929 as an apartment hotel, this building consciously and respectfully echoed the Gothic style of its venerable neighbor across the street.

One way in which it did this was with carefully designed, multi-pane casement windows, which added rhythm to the facade and reflected the intricate details of the gothic style (these and other details were removed from the building by NYU in renovations in 2013 and subsequent years). During prohibition the penthouse served as a speakeasy. Click here to send a letter supporting landmark designation of this and other historic buildings south of Union Square. . . .